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IF YOU GO

What: “12 Angry Men” by Flat Rock Playhouse.When: 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays and at 2 p.m. most Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, through July 18.Where: The Historic Henderson County Courthouse, on Main Street, downtown Hendersonville. How much: $40. Call 693-0731 or visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org.

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FLAT ROCK — When actor Ralph Redpath first came to Flat Rock Playhouse in the summer of 1971, the theater had hard wooden seats and big doors that opened to beat the summer heat.

Sometimes a dog or cat would dash on stage during a show. “You would be doing a scene and have to deal with the animal,” he said. “There was no air conditioning. And there were was no microphone system. If there was a thunderstorm, you used old-fashioned theater techniques (to be heard).”

That meant SPEAKING LOUDLY.

Much has changed at Flat Rock through the decades, first with the 1983 death of theater founder Robroy Farquhar, then the 2008 passing of his son Robin, who ran it for 27 seasons. The theater has evolved from a summer stock operation into a nationally famous professional playhouse. Redpath has seen it all, and remains as a vital link to the company's proud history.

He's on stage this week as a short-fused juror in Flat Rock's “12 Angry Men,” opening Wednesday at the historic Henderson County Courthouse in downtown Hendersonville.

“This is going to be old school” theater, Redpath said. The old courthouse won't offer the big theatrical pyrotechnics often found on the Flat Rock main stage, he added, but it should offer an authentic theatrical bang. And it gives Redpath another Flat Rock credit, now more than 100 in all.

Over a 40-year stretch, rare is the summer when he hasn't worked at Flat Rock. It's helped make him one of the region's best known players, gliding between light comedies and heavy drama with apparent ease.

“He has continued to grow as an actor,” said longtime Asheville performer and director Deborah Austin, who has worked with Redpath many times. “I'm always amazed how he can capture the essence of a character with just the slightest inflection of a syllable or a movement.”

Redpath offers an irreplaceable connection to Flat Rock's earlier years, said Scott Treadway, who himself has been at the theater for 27 seasons, and is also in “12 Angry Men.”

“I love it when Ralph is around,” Treadway said. “He was a big-time leading man (at Flat Rock). He helps us remember the amazing people who have worked at the theater and helped build this place.”

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Redpath's coming turn in “12 Angry Men” looks like one of his best shows, Treadway said. In rehearsals, he is “like a quarterback, taking this thing and running with it,” he said.

The early years

Redpath was an usher at the Edison Theater in New York City when he was lured to Flat Rock by Robroy Farquhar, the old-school showman who opened the playhouse in 1952 and ran it for decades. “I had never been south,” Redpath said.

But he took the gig and made his debut in the comedy “Love is a Time of Day.” Flat Rock was a summer-only operation, mostly doing fluffy comedies, mysteries and an annual production of Thomas Wolfe's “Look Homeward, Angel.” A core acting company was there for the season, opening a new show each week.

“Robroy liked those old-fashioned shows, theater chestnuts,” Redpath recalled. “He was a soft-spoken gentlemen. But he had this laser vision about the theater. He was totally dedicated to its success.”

Redpath's first paycheck was $39 a week. But if the box office was strong, Farquhar would wander through the playhouse, handing the players envelopes with an extra $10 or $15, he recalled. “He didn't have to do that, we were under contract,” he said.

After that first season, Redpath became a regular and remained at Flat Rock, working there regularly until 1986, when he joined Asheville Community Theater for an 11-year run as artistic director. Even then, he made time for Flat Rock productions, performing in such shows as “My Fair Lady” as Henry Higgins, or in the comedy “Taking a Chance on Love,” playing a newspaper publisher.

He even did a turn as St. Nick in the holiday show “Dear Santa.”

Redpath maintained a close connection to Robroy Farqhuar's son Robin, who took over from his dad and directed Flat Rock for a quarter century until his death two seasons ago. The company is now directed by Vincent Marini, who was hired last year. “I really love that place and wanted to keep a connection,” Redpath said.

Now “semi-retired,” Redpath continues working in theater when he can. He has often teamed with Austin, performing murder mysteries at dinner theater shows or aboard the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad. Most recently, he directed actress Elisabeth Gray in her one-woman show “Southern (dis)Comfort,” which just closed at Asheville Community Theatre's 35below space.

“As long as I have my health, I am happy to have a project to work on, and I'm hoping it will be at Flat Rock,” he said.